Chemicals: Regulation

(asked on 19th July 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has conducted an economic impact assessment on the anticipated costs of UK REACH to (a) UK industry, (b) consumers’ access to goods and (c) levels of employment in (i) the UK and (ii) Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 22nd July 2021

As a result of the transition to UK REACH, businesses will incur costs as a result of obtaining the data needed to support registrations for GB market, along with maintaining access to the EU market. This data submission provides the assurance that those responsible for placing chemicals on the GB market understand – and continue to assess – risk to public health and the environment. Costs will vary depending on the ease and extent to which the company in question can obtain the data, which is a matter of commercial negotiation between business.

Negotiations between businesses are still progressing, and therefore any assessment of these costs would be limited at this time. We acknowledge that there may be impacts on consumer access to goods, and on employment, but both issues are subject to significant uncertainty.

We recognise the importance of our chemicals industry and we will continue to work at pace with the sector to explore what both government and industry can do to help reduce these transitional costs whilst safeguarding public health and the environment.

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